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| This morning I fired up the smoker and got ready for a day of inspections of all the hives. |
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| I gathered all my tools and put aside the whole morning to fully look into each hive to see what was going on. I began with Hive number 1 who has an over achieving queen. I was so happy with all the brood, the workers had begun drawing out the second hive body but I did notice some trouble making, a few queen cells that I set aside in the event I may need them for one of the other hives. Hive number 2 was unsuccessful with the new queen so they have 2 queen cells that are now capped so they should have a new queen soon. |
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| I jumped over to Hive 4 to check the swarm that was caught almost two weeks ago. I had checked them a week ago and I could not find the queen or see any evidence of her laying eggs but today bingo!!! I not only found the most amazing, fat queen!!! I quickly caught her and marked her. |
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| This is the queen from Hive 4 being consoled by the workers after I marked her. |
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| And then the most amazing sighting that you often only read in the bee books, the workers escorting a virgin queen out of the hive for her breeding flight! I was growing a bit concerned about this queen, it has been 9 days since she was released from her queen cage from the beekeeper that gifted two to me a couple weeks ago. They moved her out of the hive, then onto the hive stand and would not let her go back in. |
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| This went on for quite sometime. I sat patiently and watched the interaction which I found fascinating. |
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| They continued to coax her, nudging her along until they got her onto this rock and then...she flew off!!! As you can see the task was left to just a few bees as the rest of them went back into the hive to get back to work. I am just hoping she has a successful mating flight. As I was watching this a drone from another hive landed as almost anxious about mating with her and ending his life! |
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